skvjejc^tieth:    co^stq^ress,    first    sessiqjj 

Transcontinental 
Hard-Surface  Highways 


Extension  of  Remarks 

of 

Hon.  William  P.  Holaday 

of  Illinois 
in  the 

House  of  Representatives 

May  28,  1928 


Address  of  ARTHUR  R.  HALL  before  the 

Sixteenth  Annual  Convention  of  the  United  States  Good  Roads 

Association  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa 

May  30,  1928 


-t 


109302— 4G72 


United  States 

Goremment  Printing  Office 

Washington 

1928 


"  Without  these  hard  roads  Paris  would  have  fallen.  No  one 
can  realize  what  such  a  catastrophe  would  have  meant  to  the 
world  at  large,  let  alone  to  France.  Billions  of  dollars  could 
not  have  replaced  the  beautiful  works  of  art,  the  splendid  build- 
ings, and  the  accumulated  treasures  of  the  centuries. 

"  In  our  splendid  isolation  we  have  less  to  fear  from  possible 
war  than  crowded  Europe.  And  yet,  while  we  talk  of  outlawed 
war,  if  we  are  honest  with  ourselves,  we  recognize  down  deep 
in  our  inner  consciousness  that  some  day  our  own  beautiful 
Capital  or  our  own  great  cities  may  need  defense.  If  that  time 
should  ever  come,  the  great  hard-surfaced  highway  system  pro- 
Tided  for  in  the  Hoiaday  bill  would  return  in  money  value  many, 
many  times  its  cost.  As  a  defense  measure  alone,  then,  the 
building  of  such  a  system  of  national  roads  would  be  fully 
justified. 

"  But  we  need  not  seek  to  justify  the  building  of  these  roads  on 
the  grounds  of  national  safety.  From  a  commercial  standpoint, 
from  an  economic  standpoint,  from  a  social  standpoint,  such  a 
hard-road  system  would  continue  to  return  valuable  and  in- 
creasing dividends  on  the  original  investment. 

"  Let  us  see,  then,  what  the  Hoiaday  bill  really  is.  Speaking 
as  I  do  for  Congressman  Holaday,  my  duty  requires  me  to  give 
a  rather  detailed  explanation  of  his  bill,  now  pending  in  Con- 
gress. I  shall  try  to  be  as  brief  as  the  importance  of  this 
question  vi^l  permit.  It  would  be  like  carrying  coals  to  New- 
castle to  argue  the  benefits  of  good  roads  to  this  gathering. 

"As  I  may  have  oeca.sion  to  refer  at  times  to  the  Federal 
highway  act,  I  want  to  make  it  plain  here  and  now  that  I  am 
not  opposed  in  the  slightest  degree  to  such  Federal  aid.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  Federal  aid  already  given  to  the  improvement  of 
our  highways  has  been  justified.  I  believe,  too,  that  even 
though  the  Hoiaday  bill  provides  for  many  great  trunk-line 
Iiighways,  our  Government  will  for  years  to  come  find  ample 
opportunity  and  sufficient  cause  for  contiJiuing  to  aid  the  States 
in  the  improvement,  within  their  own  borders,  of  thousands  of 
miles  of  the  roads  over  which  their  rural  mail  carriers  and 

local  people  must  travel. 
109302— 4G72 


"Good  roads  pay  big  dividends  and  are  a  real  investment. 
The  United  States  is  amply  able  and  can  well  afford  to  build, 
without  any  assistance  from  the  States,  the  first-class  nation- 
wide system  of  high-type  hard-surfaced  post  roads  provided  for 
in  this  bill. 

"  WHAT  IS  THE  HOLADAY  BILL? 

"The  fundamental  purpose  of  the  Holaday  bill,  as  indicated 
by  its  title,  is  to  provide  for  the  coustructiou,  maintenance,  and 
regulation  within  and  by  the  United  States  of  America  of  a 
nation-wide  system  of  durable  hard-surfaced  post  roads  and 
their  appurtenances  and  the  provision  of  means  for  the  payment 
of  the  cost  thereof.  These  paved  highways  are  to  be  constructed 
by  the  United  States  alone  without  any  direct  help  from  the 
States. 

"  The  fact  that  these  highways  can  be  built  in  this  manner, 
right  now  while  we  live,  appeals  very  strongly  to  most  of  us. 
We  want  to  see  results  in  our  own  lifetime.  By  authorizing 
an  issue  of  its  bonds  the  United  States  would  be  placed  in  posi- 
tion to  contract  for  and  construct  these  roads  at  once.  In  that 
way  the  people  would  get  to  use  the  roads  while  the  bonds 
were  being  paid  for. 

"  Illinois  tried  this  road  bond  issue  plan  to  the  extent  of 
$60,000,000.  Did  it  work?  Well,  in  six  years  the  people  of 
Illinois  voted  a  hundred  million  dollars  more  to  build  additional 
roads. 

"  WHO   WILL    CAP.RY    OCT   THE   PKOVISIOXS    OF   THB    BILL? 

"  Under  this  bill  all  the  work  must  be  done  subject  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  President,  but  the  immediate  responsibility  for 
maintaining  the  high  character  of  the  roads  will  rest  upon  four 
of  his  Cabinet  members. 

"As  the  Bureau  of  Public  Roads  and  the  interests  of  the 
farmer  are  placed  in  his  department,  the  Secretai-y  of  Agricul- 
ture is  given  direct  charge  of  the  work. 

"  Since  such  a  nation-wide  system  of  hard-surfaced  roads,  if 
well  built,  would  be  of  almost  inestimable  value  in  time  of 
national  peril,  the  Secretary  of  War  is  named  as  one  of  these 
four  Cabinet  members.  It  would  be  his  duty  to  aid  in  determin- 
ing the  proper  type  and  width  and  strength  of  a  paved  roadway 

109.302 — 4(372 


that  woiUd  be  suiBcient  for  all  traflBe  requirements  of  war  as 
•vrell  as  of  peace.  In  time  of  national  danger  these  roads  would 
be  placed  temporarily  vmder  his  control. 

"As  a  large  volume  of  mail  will  l>e  carried  over  these  post 
roads,  the  Postmaster  General  is  charged  with  part  of  the 
responsibility  of  constructing  the  high-tjT)e  roads  required. 

"  Because  such  a  comprehensive  hard-road  system  will  have  a 
marked  influence  on  the  commercial  interests  of  all  the  States, 
the  Secretary  of  Commerce  is  named  as  the  fourth  member  of 
this  very  important  advisory  board. 

"The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  with  the  President's  ap- 
proval, must  look  after  all  financial  questions. 

"  WHAT    KIND   OF   ROADS    MUST    BE    BUILT? 

"  The  Holaday  bill  provides  that  the  highways  in  this  nation- 
wide system  shall  be  improved  by  con.structing  thereon  a  dur- 
able, hard-surfaced  pavement  of  the  best  type  available.  The 
roads  shall  be  so  built  that  they  will  remain  in  good  condition, 
with  low,  reasonable  maintenance  cost  during  the  life  of  the 
bonds  and  afterwards. 

"A  vital  principle  of  this  bill  reqiiires  the  highways  to  be  con- 
structed on  the  straightest  lines  practicable  from  an  engineer- 
ing standpoint.  The  roads  shall  furnish  the  most  direct  routes 
from  one  main  objective  to  anothei*.  These  main  objectives  are 
the  National  Capital,  the  State  capitals,  the  principal  cities, 
and  the  termini  of  routes. 

"  No  route  shall  be  deflected  from  a  reasonably  sti-aight  line 
in  order  to  run  through  or  near  a  city,  even  though  the  city 
be  named  on  that  route.  If  the  construction  of  a  route  on 
sucli  straight  lines  will  carry  the  roadway  at  some  distance 
from  such  a  city  or  from  one  that  should  be  given  reasonable 
connections  with  the  route,  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  shall 
build  a  spur  or  secondary  road  to  make  the  connection.  The 
Secretary  shall  not  deflect  a  main  route  from  its  straight  line 
or  course,  but  he  shall  provide  the  safest  and  most  direct  and 
economical  route,  considering  the  interests  of  the  country  as  a 
whole,  rather  than  to  run  through  or  into  any  individual  city 
or  community. 
109.302— 4G72 


"  For  illustration  :  One  route  in  this  bill  runs  from  Des  Moines 
to  Indianapolis.  Danville,  111.,  is  named  on  this  route,  but  if  a 
direct  course  from  Indianapolis  to  Des  Moines  would  carry 
the  route  to  one  side  of  Danville,  the  Secretary  must  follow 
this  direct  course  and  then,  if  it  should  be  deemed  necessary, 
run  a  connecting  spur  to  Danville. 

"  The  bill  further  provides  that  these  hard-surfaced  highways 
shall  be  wide  enougli  and  strong  enough  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  heaviest  present  general  traffic  and  the  reasonably 
antlcipatetl  future  traffic  thereon.  Engineers  who  have  had 
wide  experience  in  such  road  building  will  aid  the  four  Cab- 
inet members  in  determining  the  proper  type  of  roads. 

•'  HOW    WIDE    WILD   THESE   BOADS    BE? 

"  The  paved  roadways,  except  in  rough,  mountainous,  or 
sparsely  settled  regions,  shall  not  be  less  than  20  feet  wide. 
They  may  be  as  much  wider  as  the  above-named  four  Cabinet 
members,  with  the  President's  approval,  may  prescribe. 

"  The  bill  also  provides  for  superhighways  near  large  cities. 
The  paved  roadways  shall  have  not  less  than  four  10-foot  traf- 
fic lanes,  or  a  width  of  at  least  40  feet,  for  at  least  25  miles 
out  from  the  corporate  limits  of  all  cities  of  over  200,000 
population.  From  the  corporate  limits  of  cities  of  over  800,000 
the  paved  roadways  shall  have  not  less  than  six  such  traffic 
lanes,  or  a  width  of  at  least  60  feet,  for  a  distance  of  at  least 
10  miles  out  from  the  city  limits. 

"  These  widths  are  fixed  only  as  a  minimum  requirement.  In 
many  cases  the  four  Cabinet  members  will  undoubtedly  deem 
it  advisable  to  make  the  paved  roadways  wider  or  to  extend 
the  extra  widths  out  for  a  longer  distance  from  these  cities. 
Near  such  a  supercity  as  New  York  or  Chicago  the  width  of 
one  of  these  great  highways  should,  in  many  cases,  be  much 
wider  than  60  feet  and  extend  out  at  the  increased  width 
much  farther  than  10  miles. 

"  This  bill  also  provides  for  the  construction  of  belt-line  paved 
highways  around  cities  of  over  200,000.  Many  times  people 
traveling  on  a  through  route  do  not  want  to  be  delayed,  perhaps 
for  hours,  by  driving  through  a  large  city.  By  use  of  such  a 
belt-line  highway  they  could  go  from  one  route  entering  a  city 
109302—4672 


8 

to  any  similar  route  Altering  it,  without  going  dowTi  into  the 
city's  crowded,  congested  traffic. 

"  WHERH  WILL   THESE  BOADS   GOT 

"  The  general  plan  of  the  Holaday  bill  calls  for  direct  trunk- 
line  hard-surfaced  roads  running  from  the  National  Capital  to 
each  State  cnpital  and  from  each  State  capital  to  every  other 
State  capital.  There  will  also  be  many  similar  direct  routes 
between  the  large  cities. 

"  The  bill  also  calls  for  great,  unbroken,  and  direct  transcon- 
tinental hard-surfaced  highways.  Similar  direct  hard-surfaced 
highways  will  lead  from  all  the  large  in.land  cities  to  the  great 
waterways. 

"  In  general,  the  bill  describes  sev«i  main  east  and  west  trunk- 
lioe  highways.  Five  of  these  are  real  transcontinental  high- 
ways. Two  of  the  seven,  however,  run  only  from  the  Pacific 
Ocean  to  tlie  Great  Lakes. 

"  One  route  follow^s  closely  the  Atlantic  coast  line  from  East- 
port,  Me„  to  the  southern  tip  of  Florida.  Another  route  fol- 
lows closely  the  Pacific  coast  line  from  the  Canadian  border  to 
San  Diego.  Twelve  other  north  and  south  lines  run  practically 
from  our  northern  to  our  southern  border. 

"There  are  also  two  gi'eat  diagonal  routes,  one  nmning  from 
Montana  to  the  seaboard  at  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  the  other  from 
El  Paso,  Tex.,  to  Iiake  Ontario.  Then  there  are  more  than  50 
shorter  but  direct  roiites  connecting  the  larger  cities  of  the 
country. 

"The  bill  numbers  the  different  routes,  but  it  expressly  pro- 
vides that  they  may  be  renumbered  or  be  given  appropriate 
names.  I  am  not  so  sure  but  that  when  these  great  national  high- 
ways shall  have  been  paved  the  American  i^eople  will  prefer  to 
know  a  route  by  some  illustrious  historic  name  i-ather  than  by 
an  unromantic  number. 

"  HOW    WILL   THE   HOADS    BE   CABED   FOB? 

"  This  bill  provides  that  the  United  States  shall  maintain  these 
roads  in  first-class  condition.     The  four  Cabinet  members  will 
also  have  power  to  regulate   the  use  of  the  roads.     Uniform 
traffic  rules  or  rules  of  the  road  shall  be  pre.scribed. 
109302—4672 


"  The  bill  also  requires  these  Cabinet  members  to  provide  uni- 
form markings  along  these  routes.  TraflBc  lanes  shall  be  kept 
marked  with  proper  guide  lines.  \\Tierever  practicable  inbound 
and  outbound  traffic  lanes  may  be  separated  by  parkway  or  other 
safe  means,  if  such  action  is  deemed  advisable.  If  it  becomes 
practicable  to  do  so  and  it  seems  advisable,  routes  may  be 
lighted  up  after  dark. 

"The  bill  also  authorizes  the  separation  of  grades  at  route 
intersections.  In  many  cases  where  one  great  route  intersects 
another  the  duty  to  protect  the  safety  of  the  traveling  public 
will  no  doubt  cause  these  Cabinet  members  to  separate  the 
grades  by  overpass  or  other  means,  so  as  to  keep  the  traffic  on 
one  route  away  from  that  on  the  intersecting  route. 

"  The  bill  seeks  to  safeguard  the  traveling  public  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  All  railway  grade  crossings  shall  be  eliminated, 
wherever  practicable,  by  the  construction  of  subways  or  via- 
ducts. On  a  great  national  highway  it  would  seem  extremely 
imwise  to  send  heavy  traffic  over  railway  tracks  at  grade. 

"  HOW    WILL,   THE    P.O.\DS    BB   PAID    FOR? 

"  The  Holaday  bill  authorizes  the  borrowing  of  sufficient  money 
on  the  credit  of  the  United  States,  up  to  $5,000,000,000,  to  build 
all  of  these  routes.  But  no  more  money  shall  be  borrowed 
than  is  actually  needed  to  meet  the  expenditures  autliorized  by 
the  bill.  Bonds  of  the  United  States  may  be  issued  to  secure 
the  money  so  borrowed.  In  this  way,  the  building  of  this 
nation-wide  hard-road  system  would  be  completely  financed. 
It  would  permit  the  Government  to  begin  the  immediate  con- 
struction of  the  roads  and  to  carry  on  the  work  continuously 
until  all  the  roads  were  completed  and  opened  for  traffic. 

"  The  bill  authorizes  thb  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  '<vith  the 
President's  approval,  to  levy  and  collect  a  small  annual  motor 
vehicle  tax  to  aid  in  retiring  the  bonds.  This  annual  tax  is 
to  be  not  less  than  $3  for  each  motor  vehicle  not  used  for  hire 
and  not  less  than  $10  for  each  motor  vehicle  used  for  hire. 
The  bill  also  authorizes  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  im- 
po.se  and  collect  a  tax  of  not  less  than  one-half  cent  per  gallon 
on  motor-vehicle  fuel  to  aid  in  retiring  the  bonds.  All  other 
Federal  taxes  on  motor  vehicles  will  be  repealed. 

109302 — 4672 


10 

"  With  the  increase  in  the  number  of  motor  cars,  which  is 
certain  to  follow  the  construction  of  such  a  comprehensive 
system  of  paved  roads,  the  bonds  used  for  their  construction 
could  be  retired  in  this  way  without  burdening  anyone.  The 
users  of  such  high-type  hard-surfaced  roads  will  be  glad  to 
contribute  toward  their  construction. 

"  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  saving  in  repairs,  oil,  gasoline, 
and  depreciation  by  driving  over  a  high-type  paved  road  will 
mean  at  least  4  cents  per  mile  of  travel.  If  each  car  traveled, 
on  an  average,  a  thousand  miles  per  year  over  these  national 
roads  it  would  mean  on  that  basis  a  saving  of  $40  per  car,  or, 
counting  the  aggregate  number  of  American  cars,  around 
$1,000,000,000  per  year. 

"Again  eugineei-s  have  estimated  that  the  driving  of  a  car  over 
high-type  paved  roads  instead  of  over  roads  of  low-type  will 
effect  a  saving  of  1  cent  per  mile  on  tires  alone.  I  am  not 
vouching  for  these  estimates  on  saving  as  that  is  out  of  my 
line,  but  if  the  figures  of  the  engineers  are  even  approximately 
correct,  the  tire  saving  alone  by  driving  over  the  high-type 
paved  roads  provided  for  in  the  Holaday  bill  would  each  year 
be  more  than  the  proposed  motor  vehicle  tax  and  gasoline  tax 
combined. 

"This  saving  on  repairs  and  depreciation  by  the  building  of 
these  superhighways  will  not  work  any  hardship  on  the  manu- 
facturer or  on  the  dealer  in  motor  cars,  because  if  people  can 
drive  cars  economically,  more  cars  will  be  bought.  Again,  the 
experience  in  Illinois  has  demonstrated  that  the  building  of  a 
connected  system  of  good  hard-surfaced  highways  will  cause 
the  sale  of  cars  to  go  up  by  leaps  and  bounds. 

"  WHEN    WILL    THE    KOADS    BE    BUILT? 

"  The  controlling  idea  in  this  bill  is  to  provide  funds,  so  that 
a  connected  and  comprehensive  system  of  durable  hard-surfaced 
roads  may  be  constructed  at  once.  The  bill  provides  that  the 
roads  shall  be  divided  into  convenient  sections  for  construction 
purposes  and  that  all  reasonable  efforts  shall  be  made  to  com- 
plete the  entire  system  within  live  years  after  the  passage  of 

the  act. 

109302 — 4672 


11 

"  The  construction  work  shall,  so  far  as  practically  possible, 
be  commenced  in  the  different  States  at  approximately  the 
same  time  and  be  carried  on  continuously  until  completed.  In 
this  way  work  would  be  going  on  at  the  same  time  in  all  the 
States  and  the  roads  could  be  completed  within  the  five-year 
period  named.  The  people  in  each  State  would  get  immediate 
benefits.  And  these  benefits  would  be  more  direct  and  sub- 
stantial than  those  arising  from  many  great  Government  proj- 
ects like  the  building  of  the  Panama  Canal. 

"  EEFUXDS    TO    TUB    STATES 

"  Many  States,  either  acting  alone  or  with  Federal  aid,  have 
already  paved  some  of  their  main  highways.  Where  that  has 
been  done,  if  these  main  highways  have  been  built  on  the  direct 
and  straight  linos  required  by  the  Holaday  bill,  and  if  they 
have  been  constructed  of  a  proper  type  to  meet  its  require- 
ments, then  such  a  State  highway  could,  with  the  State's  con- 
.sent.  be  utilized  as  part  of  the  national  system.  In  that  event, 
if  the  road  has  been  built  by  the  State  alone  or  by  one  of  its 
subdivisions,  the  actual  value  of  that  part  of  the  paved  road 
so  utilized  will  be  refunded  to  the  State.  If  the  road  has  been 
built  by  the  State  and  the  Government  together,  then  the  actual 
value  of  that  part  of  the  paved  road  paid  for  by  the  State  and 
so  utnized  by  the  Government  will  be  paid  back  to  the  State. 
The  money  so  refunded  to  a  State  would  then  be  used  by  the 
State  either  to  retire  its  State  road  bonds  or  to  construct  new 
hard-surfaced  post  roads  under  the  direction  and  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

"aihplanb  fields 

"This  bill  also  authorizes  the  construction  of  airplane  fields 
alongside  these  great  highways.  Such  fields  are  already  needed 
for  the  interchange  of  air  mail  and  post-road  mail.  Such  fields 
may  also  become  of  great  value  for  military,  commercial,  or 
other  national  purposes.  No  one  can  prophesy  with  certainty 
what  the  future  need  may  be. 

"ADVANTAGES    OF    THE   nOLADAT    BILL    OVEE    FEDERAL    AID 

"The  Holaday   bill  is  not  intended   to   repeal   the   Federal 
highway  act,  but  its  main  purpose  is  to  build  a  national  system 
109302—4672 


12 

of  connected  hard-surfaced  roads  that  can  not  be  built  imme- 
diately by  means  of  limited  Federal  aid.  Federal  aid  has  not 
provided  for  the  immediate  construction  of  straight,  unbroken 
trunk-line  hard-surfaced  roads  of  the  highest  type.  Neither  has 
Federal  aid  provided  for  the  immediate  construction  of  straight, 
transcontinental,  hard-surfaced  highways  of  the  highest  type. 

"A  map  of  the  Federal-aid  roads  of  the  United  States  will 
show  that  many  of  these  roads  jog  back  and  forth  from  town 
to  town,  following,  ijerhaps,  the  winding  trails  of  pioneer  days. 

"  Then,  too,  a  large  percentage  of  Federal-aid  projects  has  been 
of  low  type.  Mr.  Thomas  H.  MacDonald,  Chief  of  the  Bureau 
of  Public  Roads,  in  a  hearing  before  the  Committee  on  Roads 
in  the  last  Congress,  stated  that  67 1/^  per  cent  of  all  Federal- 
aid  projects  were  of  low  type;  that  they  were  of  graded  and 
drained  sand-clay  or  gravel  construction. 

"  The  Holaday  bill  has  another  advantage  over  the  Federal 
highway  act  due  to  the  fact  that  if  the  bill  is  passed  the 
Government  will  have  the  means  at  its  disposal  to  construct 
and  complete,  without  any  further  action  on  the  part  of  Con- 
gress, an  entire  system  of  superior  paved  roads  that  may  be 
used  any  day  in  the  year.  Plans  could  be  made  at  once  and 
contracts  let  for  the  whole  work.  Federal  aid,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  not  permanently  financed  to  insure  the  completion  of 
any  particular  system,  but  its  continuance  depends  upon  the 
uncertain  action  of  each  succeeding  Congi-ess. 

"  If  the  Government  builds  roads  under  the  Holaday  bill  at 
its  own  expense,  it  can,  as  it  should,  make  the  roads  straight 
and  connected  and  ixrmanent,  so  as  to  benefit  all  the  people 
rather  than  the  people  of  a  single  State. 

"  In  the  construction  of  roads  near  large  cities  Federal  aid  is 
limited  to  an  amount  wholly  insufficient  to  meet  the  Govern- 
ment's fair  share  of  the  cost  of  roads  that  will  be  used  by 
citizens  from  every  State  in  the  Union.  The  Holaday  bill  does 
not  limit  the  cost  but  provides  for  roads  that  shall  meet  all 
trafl3c  requirements. 

"Another  difficulty  encountered  in  ciuistrncting  high-type  trunk- 
line  hard-surfaced  roads  by  means  of  Federal  aid  lies  in  the  fact 

that  some  States  may  be  either  unwilling  or  unable  financially 
109302—4672 


13 

to  beiar  their  share  of  the  cost  of  the  roads  through  their  terri- 
tory. Many  Western  States  have  hirge  areas  of  untaxable  lands 
which  materially  reduce  their  resources.  This  all  means  gaps 
in  the  roads. 

"  Those  of  us  on  this  side  of  Pikes  Peak  do  not  want  such  gaps. 
Most  of  us  hope  some  time  to  be  able  to  drive  out  there  often  to 
view  the  gi'eat  mountains,  the  canyons,  the  geysers,  the  giant 
trees,  and  the  rare  wonders  of  nature.  If  the  building  of  the 
transcontinental  paved  highways  provided  for  in  this  bill  will 
create  in  the  American  people  a  desire  to  explore  their  own 
country,  enol^gh  money  will  stay  away  from  Euroi)e  each  year 
to  maintain  these  roads. 

"  HOW    WILL   THE    HOLADAY    BILL  BENEFIT    A   CITY    OR   A    STATE? 

"  Before  I  close  I  want  to  give  just  a  few  figures  to  indicate 
what  the  Holaday  bill  would  mean  to  individual  cities  and 
States.  The  routes  described  in  the  bill  aggregate  approxi- 
mately 57,000  miles  of  road  which,  at  an  estimated  average  cost 
of  $50,000  per  mile  for  a  high-type  paved  roadway  20  feet  wide, 
would  cost  $2,850,000,000.  The  above  mileage  is  divided  up 
among  all  the  States. 

"  Out  here  in  Iowa  the  mileage  would  be  approximately  1,594 
miles,  which,  at  that  estimated  cost,  would  mean  an  outlay  in 
this  State  of  $79,700,000.  This  amount  would  be  spent  either  in 
constructing  new  roads  or,  if  the  Government  should  take  over 
some  roads  already  paved  by  the  State,  in  refunding  the  value 
of  such  roads  to  Iowa.  Six  great  highways  would  lead  out  of 
this  beautiful  Capital  City. 

"The  estimated  expenditures  in  New  York,  Michigan,  Illinois, 
California,  Pennsylvania,  and  Texas  would  all  go  above  the  hun- 
dred million  dollar  mark.  Texas,  due  to  her  great  size,  would 
have  the  largest  amount. 

"Around  the  large  cities  the  value  of  the  roads  would  be  much 
greater.  Take,  for  example,  Birmingham,  Ala.,  the  permanent 
headquarters  of  this  great  good  roads  association.  Six  splen- 
did highways  would  run  out  from  Birmingham  at  a  width  of 
at  least  40  feet  for  a  distance  of  at  least  25  miles.  At  an  esti- 
mated cost  of  $80,000  per  mile  for  a  40-foot  road,  this  would 
109302—4672 


14 

call  for  an  expenditure  around  that  city  of  approximately 
$9,000,000, 

"  Twelve  of  these  great  highways  would  lead  out  from  the  city 
of  Chicago  at  a  width  of  at  least  60  feet  for  at  least  10  miles 
and  at  a  width  of  at  least  40  feet  for  at  least  15  miles  farther. 
At  an  estimated  cost  of  $90,000  per  mile  for  a  60-foot  road  the 
expenditure  around  Chicago  would  aggregate  about  $21,600,000. 

"Eleven  routes  would  run  out  of  Indianapolis.  These  roads 
would  be  at  least  40  feet  wide  for  a  distance  of  at  least  25  miles 
beyond  the  city  limits.  Tlie  estimated  expenditure  around  that 
city  would  reach  $16,500,000. 

"ARE   THESE   ROADS    NEEDED? 

"  People  who  are  well  acquainted  with  conditions  in  the  auto- 
mobile world  realize  that  the  construction  of  new  cars  is  far 
outstripping  the  construction  of  good  hard-surfaced  roads»  It 
has  been  said  that  if  all  the  motor  cars  in  our  country  should 
decide  to  drive  over  its  high-type  paved  highways  at  the  same 
time,  there  would  be  a  double  line  of  cars  with  a  spacing  of 
less  than  20  feet  between  cars. 

"  The  construction  of  the  primary  roads  provided  for  in  the 
Holaday  bill  would  inevitably  lead  to  the  construction  of  a 
large  mileage  of  hard-surfaced,  secondary  roads  to  connect  with 
the  great  trunk-line  roads.  Since  Illinois  voted  $60,000,000  for 
the  construction  of  a  State  bond  road  system,  counties  in  the 
State  have  voted  many  millions  of  dollars  in  county  bonds  for 
the  purpose  of  building  good  roads  to  reach  the  State  system. 

"At  the  time  Illinois  was  making  hev  campaign  for  good  roads 
there  were  less  than  400,000  automobiles  in  the  State.  During 
the  campaign  it  was  estimated  that  the  saturation  point  would 
be  600,000  cars.  But  before  this  fine  system  of  roads  was  entirely 
completed  there  were  more  than  1.400,000  cars. 

"And  now  I  just  want  to  add  that  by  bringing  all  the  States 
into  a  closer  and  more  intimate  relationship  socially,  politically, 
and  commercially  by  means  of  a  splendid  nation-wide  system 
of  permanent  liard-surfaced  liighways,  the  Holad^iy  bill  will 
obey  the  Constitution,  both  in  letter  and  spirit,  and  help — " 
109302 — 4672 


15 

to  form  a  more  perfect  union,  establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tran- 
quility, provide  for  the  common  defense,  promote  the  general  welfare, 
and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity. 

"  The  following  resolution  has  been  submitted  to  the  resolu- 
tions committee,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  adopted  by  this  convention : 

Resolution 

Whereas  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of  motor-vehicle  owners,  with 
the  correspondingly  greater  need  and  demand  on  all  sides  for  good 
hard-surfaced  roads,  is  far  outstripping  the  construction  of  such  roads ; 
and 

Whereas  the  Iloladay  bill,  now  pending  in  Congress,  oflfers  the  travel- 
ing public  substantial  relief  from  this  condition  by  providing  for  the 
construction,  maintenance,  and  regulation  within  and  by  the  United 
States  of  a  nation-wide  system  of  durable  hard-surfaced  roads  and  the 
provision  of  means  for  the  payment  of  the  cost  thereof ;  and 

Whereas  a  careful  study  of  this  bill  shows  that  its  early  passage 
would  secure  to  the  American  people,  right  now  in  this  generation, 
certain  vital  and  very  needful  traffic  betterments  and  highway  improve- 
ments, such  as — 

Straight  and  unbrolien  transcontinental  hard-surfaced,  super  highways 
of  the  best  type  available ; 

Straight  and  connected  interstate  hard-surfaced  highways  of  the  best 
type  available; 

', ,  Maintenance  of  these  highways  in  first-class  condition  ; 
,     Relief  from  traffic  congestion  around  the  larger  cities  : 

1.  By  constructing  straight,  high-type  pavements  at  least  40  feet 
wide  for  at  least  25  miles  out  from  cities  of  over  200,000  ; 

2.  By  constructing  straight,  high-type  pavements  at  least  60  feet 
wide  for  at  least  10  miles  out  from  cities  of  over  800,000  ; 

3.  By  constructing  belt-line,  high-type  pavements  around  cities  of 
over  200,000  ; 

Connecting  with  each  other  by  direct  trunk-line  hard-surfaced  high- 
ways the  National  Capital  and  all  State  capitals  and  all  large  cities  ; 

Forming  great  martial  highways  in  time  of  national  peril  ; 

Eliuiiuation  of  all  railway  grade  crossings  on  the  national  highway 
system  ; 

Separation  of  grades  where  practicable  at  route  intersections  : 

Uniform  traffic  rules,  regulations,  and  markings  on  this  national  high- 
way system  ; 

Refunding  to  States  the  value  of  any  part  of  this  national  highway 
system  built,  at  its  own  expense,  by  a  State  or  by  one  of  its  subdivi- 
sions, so  as  to  permit  such  a  State  to  use  its  money  again  for  the  build- 
ing of  other  hard  roads  or  the  retirement  of  its  State  road  bonds  ; 

Provision  for  financing  the  construction  of  this  national  highway  sys- 
tem by  the  issuing  of  United  States  bonds  to  be  retired  in  part  by  the 
users  of  the  roads  through  the  payment  of  small  motor-vehicle  licenses 
and  a  small  tax  on  gasoline  and  motor  fuel ; 

Provision  for  constructing  airplane  fields  alongside  these  great  high- 
ways for  the  interchange  of  airplane  and  post-road  mail  and  for  mili- 
tary, commercial,  or  other  national  purposes  ; 

Promoting  the  general  welfare  of  all  the  States  :  Therefore  be  it 
109302—4672 


16 

Resolved,  That  the  United  States  Good  Roads  Association,  in  annual 
convention  assembled,  does  hereby  give  its  hearty  and  unqualified  ap- 
proval to  the  principles  of  the  Holaday  bill,  and  it  does  hereby  further 
agree  to  use  its  best  efforts  to  secure  the  early  passage  by  Congress  of 
this  bill   (II.  R.  6957). 

Mr.   HOLADAY.     The   Sixteenth   Annual  Convention   of  the 

United  States  Good  Roads  Association  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 

in  session  from  May  28  to  June  1,  1928,  adopted  the  resolution 

set  forth  in  the  address  by  Mr.  Hall. 

109302—4672 

o 


